SECOND LIFE: CEO's shadow

I could hear the blood rushing in my ears like a heavy waterfall. The cafe was too bright and too loud. The clinking of spoons against ceramic mugs sounded like hammers hitting stone. I stared at Marcus, really looked at him, and I felt a wave of cold sickness wash over me.

He looked so innocent. He had that boyish charm I used to adore, with a little lock of hair falling over his forehead. Back then, I thought it was cute. Now, I just saw it as a mask. This was the man who had stood on a roof and watched the life go out of my eyes without blinking.

"Clara? Babe, you're scaring me," Marcus said. He laughed, but it was that hollow, nervous laugh he used when he wasn't getting his way. "What do you mean you aren't signing? We've been talking about this startup for months. It's our future. Our house, our kids, everything we ever wanted is in that folder."

Our kids. The lie made my skin crawl. He never wanted a family with me. He just wanted a bank account that didn't talk back.

I looked down at the paper. It was a simple contract. If I signed it, I would move five hundred thousand dollars from my father's trust into a business account Marcus controlled. In my first life, I had been so proud to do it. I thought I was being a supportive partner. I thought I was being a hero.

"I can't do it today, Marcus," I said. I was proud of how steady my voice was, even though my insides felt like they were made of glass.

"Is it the money? Are you worried about the risk?" Marcus leaned over the table, trying to catch my gaze. He reached for my hand again, but I moved it to my lap before he could touch me. "I told you, I've done the research. The tech market is booming. If we don't move now, we lose the office space. I already told the landlord we'd have the deposit by four o'clock."

"That was a mistake," I told him. "You shouldn't make promises with money that isn't yours yet."

Marcus flinched like I had slapped him. The mask slipped for just a second. His eyes went hard and dark, the same way they looked on the roof. It was a tiny flash of the killer he would become, and it made my heart stop for a beat.

"What is wrong with you today?" he snapped. He caught himself and softened his voice quickly, but the damage was done. "I'm sorry. I'm just stressed. This is a big deal for us, Clara. I thought we were a team."

"We are a team," I lied. The words tasted like poison in my mouth. "But I had a meeting with my estate lawyer this morning. There is a random audit on my father's accounts. The bank has flagged some of the larger transfers because they happened so close to his death. Everything is frozen for at least thirty days."

Marcus stared at me. He wasn't looking for signs that I was okay or stressed about my inheritance. He was just calculating how this would hurt his plans.

"Thirty days?" he whispered. "Clara, that's impossible. We'll lose the building. The investors will walk away. Can't you call someone? Use your name?"

"I tried," I said, leaning back in the booth. I felt a strange, cold sense of power. For the first time, I was the one holding the keys to the kingdom. "There is nothing I can do. The law is the law."

Marcus sat back, his face twisted in frustration. He wasn't the man I loved anymore. He was just a small, greedy person who was losing his grip on a golden ticket. He didn't even try to hide his anger this time. He just stared at the folder like he wanted to set it on fire.

"Fine," he spat. "I guess I'll have to call the landlord and tell him my girlfriend can't keep her word."

"Tell him whatever you like," I said.

I stood up and grabbed my purse. My legs felt heavy, but I forced myself to walk away with my head held high. I didn't look back to see the look on his face. I knew what it looked like. I had seen it as I fell from the building.

I stepped out of the cafe and into the warm morning air. My lungs felt like they were finally getting enough oxygen. I was back. I was really back. And I had just taken the first step toward saving my life.

But Marcus was only half the problem.

I walked toward the subway, my mind racing. If I was twenty-one again, that meant Sienna was already in my life. She was probably sitting in my living room right now, pretending to be my best friend while she waited for me to come home and tell her the good news about the money.

The thought of her made my blood boil. I remembered the way she pushed me. I remembered the joy in her eyes when she told me Marcus never loved me.

I checked my phone. It was an old model, the screen was small and the buttons were clunky. I had a message from her.

Hey bestie! How did the meeting go? Are we rich yet? I've got wine chilling!

I felt a shiver of pure disgust. I didn't reply. I couldn't. Not yet.

I needed a plan. I had thirty days before Marcus found a way to pressure me again. Thirty days to move my money, hide my assets, and find someone who could help me take them both down. I couldn't do this alone. I was rich, but I didn't have power. Not the kind of power Marcus was afraid of.

I remembered a name I used to hear in the shadows of the high-society parties. A man who didn't play by the rules. A man who made Marcus look like a child playing with toy cars.

Alistair Thorne.

In my first life, I was terrified of him. Everyone was. He was the kind of man who bought companies just to break them apart. He was cold, he was ruthless, and he didn't care about anything but winning.

I looked at the reflection of my young, tired face in a store window. I looked like a girl who was about to lose everything.

"Not this time," I whispered to the glass.

I wasn't going to be the girl who fell. I was going to be the girl who stood her ground. And if I had to make a deal with a monster to do it, then that's exactly what I would do.